Container closure construction

ABSTRACT

A container closure construction wherein a closure flange having an upstanding internally threaded cylindrical neck surrounded by a laterally extending polygonal base is mechanically inserted by means of a punch press operation within a container wall opening from the under surface thereof. A tag ring element is in the same operation secured about the exterior surface of an upwardly drawn neck surrounding the container wall opening. An outward curling of the uppermost end of the flange neck serves to tightly clamp the upwardly drawn container wall opening neck between the flange and the tag ring element.

United States Patent [191 J esevich et al.

[ CONTAINER CLOSURE CONSTRUCTION [75] Inventors: John .lesevich, Cicero; Vyto Simkus,

Chicago, both of I11.

[73] Assignee: American Flange & Manufacturing C0., lnc., New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Oct. 25, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 409,391

Related US Application Data [62] Division ofSer. No. 131,258, April 5, 1971,Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl. 220/85 R; 220/214 [51] Int. Cl. B65D 25/00 [58] Field of Search 220/39 A, 39 B, 85 R, 288, 220/85, 214

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,351 2/1936 Rheem 220/39 B 2,084,007 6/1937 Schwartz 220/39 B l I a: O

[451 Sept. 23, 1975 Primary ExaminerWilliam i. Price Assistant Examiner-Steven M. Pollard [57] ABSTRACT A container closure construction wherein a closure flange having an upstanding internally threaded cylindrical neck surrounded by a laterally extending polygonal base is mechanically inserted by means of a punch press operation within a container wall opening from the under surface thereof. A tag ring element is in the same operation secured about the exterior surface of an upwardly drawn neck surrounding the container wall opening. An outward curling of the uppermost end of the flange neck serves to tightly clamp the upwardly drawn container wall opening neck between the flange and the tag ring element.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 CONTAINER CLOSURE CONSTRUCTION This application is a divisional application of Ser. No. 13 l ,258 now US. Pat. No. 3,800,401, entitled Method of Making Container Closure Construction, issued Apr. 2, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the industrial container field. particularly in the fabrication of steel drums, it has long been the practice to mechanically secure a closure flange, for reception of a threaded plug, within an opening formed in a container wall. One method of insertingflanges in container walls has been carried out by a metal working die which forms an opening in the container wall and mechanically inserts the flange in a single operation. In many instances, however, it is desirable to also include an annular tag ring in the insertion which surrounds the upstanding container wall opening neck and is permanently held in place by the outwardly curled bead at the uppermost end of the flange neck. One function of such tag ring is to provide an effective means for securing a tag for identifying the container contents. In many instances tag rings also serve as means for affixing a wire and lead seal which is threaded through the closure plug for tamperproofing purposes. In addition, with the increasing trend toward the use of lighter gage metal in the fabrication of industrial shipping containers, it is advantageous to employ such tag rings for reinforcing the container wall opening neck to meet necessary strength requirements.

Heretofore, it was thought only possible to include such tag ring by hand feeding in flange insertions carried out in a two-stepoperation wherein the container wall is perforated and the surrounding container wall opening neck drawn upwardly therearound in a first punch press operation. In the second operation, the flange neck is inserted within the container wall opering from beneath whereby the tag ring could be placed over the container wall opening exteriorally surrounding the opening neck. The upper end of the flange neck is then curled outwardly so as to permanently secure the flange and the tag ring to the underlying container wall opening neck. The above described two operation flange insertion arrangement, however, is relatively costly and unsuited for high speed container fabricating processes.

The invention is particularly adaptable to the application of tag ring elements in a single operation flange insertion arrangement. This is accomplished by feeding flanges and tag ring elements into a die for insertion within a container wall in a single stroke of the press. More specifically, a flange is fed into the lower half of the die together with the feeding of a tag ring element into the upper half of the die. A container wall is then positioned in the die between the flange and tag ring element. The press is cycled, causing a perforating punch in the upper die to move downwardly through the tag ring element and perforate the container wall. Continued downward movement of the upper die causes a neck to be drawn upwardly about the container wall opening with the tag ring element positioned in overlying concentric relationship about the opening neck. Final closing of the die forms the container wall down over the flange and curls the upper end of the flange neck outwardly about the container wall opening neck and tag ring element, permanently securing 2 the flange and the tag ring element to the container wall. i i

It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a new and-improved container closure construction. i

Another object is to provide a new tag ring element for securement together with a closure flange to a con tainer wall in a single operation. I

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will in part be obvious and be in part pointed out as the description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying. drawing proceeds.

In that drawing:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a closure flange and a tag ring element flat blank in accordance with one form of the invention as they would appear aligned ready for application about a container opening',

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the completely assembled closure .flange, tag ring element and section of container wall;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the closure construction of FIG. 2 with a part broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a modified tag ring element;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the modified tag ring element of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3 including a further modified form of tag ring element.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional closure flange I comprising a cylindrical neck 2 having an upper unthreaded portion 3 and an internally threaded lower portion4 surrounded by an octagonal base 5. An annular gasket 6 surrounds the cylindrical neck at the juncture of the threaded lower portion 4 and the flange base 5. The tag ring element 7 of one form of the invention is formed as a flat blank having a circular inner free edge 8 bordering a central opening and terminating in outermost octagonal free edge 9. A series of eyelets 10 are formed in the tag ring element 7 adjacent the free edge 9 at the corners of the octagon.

Considering further the finished closure container wall assembly as seen in FIG. 2, after the insertion operation the container wall is formed with an embossment 92 closely overlying the flange base 5 and terminating in an upwardly formed neck 93 closely surrounding the flange neck 2. The tag ring element 7 is reformed during the flange insertion operation by being made to conform to and closely overlie the underlying container wall neck 93 and the upper surface of the embossment 92 with the tag ring element outer edge 9 formed somewhat downwardly over the periphery of the container wall embossment.

It can also be seen how the insertion operation has curled the flange neck portion 3 outwardly and downwardly over the upwardly facing container wall opening edge 91 and the tag ring element inner edge 8, into a tightly closed bead which permanently secures the flange and the tag ring element about the container waII opening with the gasket 6 blocking off any possible leakage path between the flange and the container wall.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified form of tag ring element 107 having a flat base 108 terminating in, an octagonally shaped outer free edge I09.

The cutaway section of FIG. 2 shows the finished tag ring element 7 formed to closely surround the underlying container wall opening neck 93 thus acting as an effective thickening and desirable reinforcement of the container wall neck surrounding the flange. This is particularly advantageous in the case of light gage metal containers where the tag ring element may even be formed from material considerably heavier than the container wall in order to adequately support the inserted flange in the drum neck. It may even be desirable in certain instances to eliminate the container wall opening neck all together and utilize the tag ring neck formed in accordance with the invention as the sole securing neck for securing flanges with respect to container walls.

In the enlarged fragmentary section of FIG. 2, the relationship between the tag ring element 7 and container wall embossment 92 is clearly shown. From this it can be seen that the tag ring free edge 9 is spaced slightly upwardly, as indicated at 94, from the border of the underlying container wall embossment 92. The gap 94 is partially created during the insertion operation by the container wall metal being pulled over the sharp edge of the flange base at a sharper radius than the radius to which the tag ring element outer edge is formed. The gap 94 is also contributed to by a certain amount of vertical spring back which naturally occurs along the edge 9 upon the release of the pressure of the insertion die. The purpose of the gap 94 is to provide accessibility to the tag ring eyelets 10 through which a string or wire can be secured carrying a tag for identifying the container contents. A wire and lead closure seal can also be employed by threading a wire through an eyelet of a closure plug (not shown) threadcdly engaged in the flange 1 then threading it through one or more of the eyelets l0 and clinching its ends within a lead seal.

The gap 94 normally sufficiently exposes the eyelet 10 for threading ofa thin wire therethrough. If not. the gap provides an easy access point to insert an implement for deflecting the tag ring element edge 9 upwardly to expose the eyelet far enough for the insertion of even a heavier wire through the eyelet l0. Formation of the tag ring element outer edge portion in the manner shown, allows the tag ring element to advantageously perform its intended function without presenting any sharp or protruding metal edges to injure ones hands.

Any hazard attendant to the common practice of wiping off the top of the container around the closure opening is prevented.

A further modified tag ring element 207 is shown in FIG. 6 formed out of a flat blank having a circular inner edge 208 and a circular outer edge 209 interrupted by a pair of radially outwardly protruding. diametrically opposite ears 211 formed with eyelets 210. It should be noted that the tag ring element 207 could also be fabricated with a partially preformed neck as shown in the modified tag ring element 107 of FIG. 4.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and seek to protect by Letter Patent is:

l. A tag ring element for reinforcing a container wall opening surrounded by an upwardly drawn neck, said tag ring element providing identifying tag and closure seal affixing means and comprising a flat annular blank having an innermost free edge surrounding a circular central opening and terminating in an outermost free edge having a polygonal configuration consisting of a maximum number of eight sides, eyelets formed in corners of said base closely adjacent said free edge. said central opening having a diameter less than the diameter of said container wall opening neck wherein an inner portion of said annular blank is adapted to be drawn upwardly into a cylindrical neck closely overly ing said container wall opening neck.

2. A tag ring element for reinforcing container wall openings and providing identifying tag and closure seal affixing means, said tag ring comprising a flat annular base having a circular inner edge and terminating in an outermost free edge, at least one eyelet formed in said base adjacent said free edge. said base inner edge extending into an annularly formed neck. said neck extending conically upwardly and radially inwardly from said base and terminating in a circular free edge having an internal diameter substantially less than the diameter of said base inner edge.

3. A tag ring element as in claim 2, wherein said outermost free edge has a polygonal configuration with said eyelet formed at a corner of said polygon. 

1. A tag ring element for reinforcing a container wall opening surrounded by an upwardly drawn neck, said tag ring element providing identifying tag and closure seal affixing means and comprising a flat annular blank having an innermost free edge surrounding a circular central opening and terminating in an outermost free edge having a polygonal configuration consisting of a maximum number of eight sides, eyelets formed in corners of said base closely adjacent said free edge, said central opening having a diameter less than the diameter of said container wall opening neck wherein an inner portion of said annular blank is adapted to be drawn upwardly into a cylindrical neck closely overlying said container wall opening neck.
 2. A tag ring element for reinforcing container wall openings and providing identifying tag and closure seal affixing means, said tag ring comprising a flat annular base having a circular inner edge and terminating in an outermost free edge, at least one eyelet formed in said base adjacent said free edge, said base inner edge extending into an annularly formed neck, said neck extending conically upwarDly and radially inwardly from said base and terminating in a circular free edge having an internal diameter substantially less than the diameter of said base inner edge.
 3. A tag ring element as in claim 2, wherein said outermost free edge has a polygonal configuration with said eyelet formed at a corner of said polygon. 